Dylan and TJ
Dylan and TJ is an American animated television series created by Mr. Warburton for Nickelodeon. The series centers on two brothers named Dylan and TJ McCarthy and their family Cathy, Kate, and Diesel, living in the town of GoCity. They try to live in a normal everyday life to occasionally prevent attacks from Mad Dog McGraw, so the McCarthys, along with their other friends, must team up to stop Mad Dog McGraw's plans. Warburton created the title characters for an unpublished comic book series in the late 1980s, and later reluctantly pitched the series to Nickelodeon, who were looking for edgier cartoonists for their then-new Nicktoons. The network gave the staff a large amount of creative freedom, with the writers targeting both children and adults. The show ran from September 16, 1994 to May 3, 2008 for ten seasons and 190 episodes. The show was commercially successful, and became the highest-rated show for children on American commercial television and was critical to Nickelodeon's growth. It has been called "one of the most successful, critically acclaimed, and ground-breaking animated kids' shows of all time." As a result of the show's popularity, a feature-length film, titled The Dylan and TJ Movie, was released into theaters on July 18, 2003. Tie-in media for the series include video games, comics, toys, and various other merchandise. A live production of Dylan and TJ, which used many of the production innovations developed by the show's creator, toured the U.S. starting in 1999. As of 2002, over 2 million people had attended over 1,000 performances. By 2002, Dylan and TJ has received several awards for excellence in children's programming, and had been nominated for nine Emmy Awards. It has been syndicated in 120 countries and translated into 15 languages. Dylan and TJ ''even earned its own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The series garnered high ratings on Nickelodeon and was the network's top-rated show from 1998 to 2002. ''Dylan and TJ was the longest-running Nickelodeon series until it was surpassed by SpongeBob SquarePants in 2014. Premise Characters Main article: List of Dylan and TJ characters The series centers on two socially-incompetent, dimwitted, teenage delinquent, teenagers named Dylan (voiced by Steve Freeman) and TJ McCarthy (voiced by Arnold Ward), their little sister Cathy McCarthy (voiced by Megan Freeman), and their parents Kate (voiced by Kelly Moon) and Diesel McCarthy (voiced by Ed Nelson). They live in the fictional town of GoCity. However, their life there is occasionally interrupted by attacks from Mad Dog McGraw (voiced by Rob Paulsen), so Dylan and TJ must occasionally team up with their family to stop their plans, and all this happens during their daily life. Supporting characters include Dylan's girlfriend Emily Movolvoski (voiced by Grey DeLisle); Dylan's neighbor Andrew Clark (voiced by Jess Harnell); Dylan and TJ's friend Eric Smith (voiced by Chris Edgerly); Dylan's rival Paul Johnson (voiced by Tom Kane); and TJ's friend Brendan Barney (voiced by Keith Ferguson). Production Development By 1988, the characters appeared in an unpublished comic book titled Two Absymal Guys. Warburton tried selling the comic book in the late 1980s, between illustrating jobs and did not find success in getting it into production. Many other characters appeared in various sketchbooks. He described the early 1990s animation atmosphere as "ripe for this kind of project. We took some chances that would be hard to do in these current times (the 1990s)". Warburton wanted funding for his independent film My Turtle Fred, so he wanted Nickelodeon to pre-buy television rights for the series. He presented a pencil test to Nickelodeon, which afterward became interested in buying and financing the show. Warburton had never worked in television before. The industry was coming out of a "rough period" and Murray wanted to "shake things up a bit". Linda Simensky, then in charge of animation development in Nickelodeon, described the Nicktoons lineup and concept to Warburton. He originally felt skepticism towards the concept of creating a Nicktoon as he disliked television cartoons. Simensky told him that Nicktoons differed from other cartoons. He then told her that he believed that My Dog Zero would not work as a cartoon. He then researched Nickelodeon at the library and found that Nickelodeon's "attitude was different than regular TV". The cable network providers were "making their own rules": for example, Murray stated that he "didn't write for children", which the executives were fine with. Murray was unsure at first, but was inspired by independent animation around him, such as Animation Celebration and MTV's Liquid Television, and gave the network a shot. At the time, Nickelodeon was selling itself as a network-based as much around the edge as around kids' entertainment. It aimed to appeal to college students and parents as much as children. After developing the comics, Warburton wanted to adapt his comic into a television series for Nickelodeon. Nickelodeon assigned Warburton to create a new Nicktoon in mid-1992. At first, Nickelodeon had hired Anderson as an adviser for its Nicktoons starting in 1991. When Nickelodeon enlisted him to create Dylan and TJ, he came on in a more formal capacity. Warburton went to the Nickelodeon Studios for a month to develop Dylan and TJ. The characters Dylan and TJ were originally conceived as Daniel and Tyler, and the name of the show was to be "Two Abnormal Bros," but the show's name was changed and Daniel and Tyler were renamed Dylan and TJ. Writing Coming soon! Voice actors Coming soon! Animation The series' first five seasons were produced by Film Roman, and was produced in association with Wang Film Productions in Taiwan, Mr. Big Cartoons in Australia, and Fil-Cartoons in the Philippines. However, due to difficulties with the animation studios, production was switched from Hanna-Barbera to Klasky Csupo for seasons six to onwards. Music The show's theme song is the Timon & Pumbaa version of "Hakuna Matata". Episodes Main article: List of Dylan and TJ episodes Reception Ratings Ratings for Dylan and TJ ''were high during its first season, and it was Nickelodeon's most popular animated program. ''More coming soon! Critical reception Dylan and TJ ''received critical acclaim from critics and is considered to be one of Nickelodeon's best shows. It has been described as the first commercial animation television show that was profitable. IGN ranked ''Dylan and TJ at number seven in the "Top 100 Animated Series". In 1999 and 2002, TV Guide ranked Dylan and TJ number 12 and number 15 in their list of top cartoons ever. Awards and nominations By 2002, Dylan and TJ ''had received several awards for children's programming and been nominated for nine Emmy Awards. It also won a Peabody Award in 2001. Legacy ''Coming soon! Honors On June 28, 2004, in commemoration of their tenth anniversary, Dylan and TJ ''received a star on the fabled Hollywood Walk of Fame, making it Nickelodeon's second series (after ''Rugrats) to receive a star. It was placed at 6600 W. Hollywood Blvd., near Cherokee Ave., outside a toy and costume shop. In the October 2001 issue of Wizard Magazine, a leading magazine for comic book fans, they released the results of the "100 Greatest Toons ever", as selected by their readers; Dylan and TJ ''ranked at No. 35. Three other Nicktoons—''SpongeBob SquarePants, Invader Zim, and Ren and Stimpy—also placed on the list. In a list of TV Land's "The 2000 Best Things About Television", ranking the all-time TV shows, channels, commercials, people, catch phrases, etc., Dylan and TJ ''is ranked #699. Dylan and TJ were placed seventh in ''TV Guide's list of "Top 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time" in 2002. On September 24, 2013, in honor of their 60th anniversary, Dylan and TJ ''earned a spot on ''TV Guide's "60 Greatest Cartoons of All Time" list. Other media Film Main article: The Dylan and TJ Movie Comics Marvel Comics announced a comic book series, Dylan and TJ Comics in November 1999. Debuting in February 2000, the series is published by Marvel Comics. Independent comic creators who contributed to the first issue include James Kochalka, Hilary Barta, Graham Annable, Gregg Schigiel, and Jacob Chabot. Issue number 13, a Halloween special, was released in October 2000 featuring the work of such writers and artists as Stephen R. Bissette, Tony Millionaire, Al Jaffee, and Derek Drymon. Another Halloween-themed issue was released the following year featuring cartoonist Michael T. Gilbert. In June 2002, Marvel Comics released SpongeBob Annual-Size Super-Giant Swimtacular #1. A cover by artist Jacob Chabot that was influenced by the Marvel Comics annuals of the 1960s. Collaborators for the book included Drymon, Kochalka, Barta, Ramona Fradon, Chuck Dixon, Jerry Ordway, and Vincent Deporter. A second superhero-inspired annual was released in June 2003. The comic book series ended in October 2007. On December 6, 2017, Boom! Studios began publishing a new Dylan and TJ comic book series. Video games TBA video games based on the series have been produced. Dylan and TJ: The Video Game was released on September 1, 1998 for PlayStation, Nintendo 64, and Microsoft Windows. Dylan and TJ: Scavenger Hunt was released on September 14, 1999 for PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, Microsoft Windows, and Game Boy Color. Dylan and TJ: Search for Superstar was released on March 28, 2000 for PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, Microsoft Windows, and Game Boy Color. Dylan and TJ: Time Travelers was released on January 30, 2001 for Game Boy Color. Dylan and TJ: Studio Tour was released on March 1, 2001 for PlayStation. Dylan and TJ: Totally Cool ''was released on November 21, 2002 for PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube, Game Boy Advance, and Microsoft Windows.Dylan and TJ: Castle Madness'' was released on September 15, 2003, for Game Boy Advance. Dylan and TJ: The Mis Adventures was released on October 11, 2005 for the Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Game Boy Advance, and Microsoft Windows. The most recent game, Dylan and TJ: Prank of the Century, was released for the Nintendo DS on April 25, 2006. Dylan and TJ appear as playable characters in Microsoft's Nickelodeon 3-D Movie Maker, Nicktoons Racing, Nicktoons: Splash, Splat, Fight!, Nickelodeon Party Blast, Nicktoons: Splash, Splat, Fight!: Melee, Nicktoons Basketball, Nicktoons: Freeze Frame Frenzy, Nicktoons Movin', Nickelodeon Kart, Nicktoons Unite!, Nicktoons Winners Racing Cup, Nicktoons: Battle for Volcano Island, Nicktoons: Splash, Splat, Fight!: Brawl, Nicktoons: Attack of the Toybots, Nicktoons: Globs of Doom, Nicktoons MLB, Nicktoons: Splash, Splat, Fight!: Reborn, and Nicktoons: Splash, Splat, Fight!: Ultimate. Dylan, TJ, and Cathy appear as playable characters in the video game Nickelodeon Kart Racers. Dylan and TJ are playable characters in the Nickelodeon game Super Brawl Universe. Live show Starting in 1999, a live production of Dylan and TJ toured the U.S. to positive reviews. Warburton compared the show's audience participation with that of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. As of 2002, over 2 million people had attended over 1,000 performances. The creators of the TV show were involved in all aspects of the live show, aiming to translate the bond between the TV show's audience and its cast to the stage and to provide young audiences with their first theatrical experience. Merchandise Main article: List of Dylan and TJ merchandise Mattel produced a series of Dylan and TJ action figures in 1996. They each stand approximately 4 inches (10 cm) tall and include an action feature. Other products based on the cartoon include Fleer trading cards, books, plush toys, pens, hats, backpacks, notepads, and more. Its creators met regularly with businesses that developed Dylan and TJ ''merchandise and products to ensure toys that were educational and met "the same high ... standards as the show." Products, like the show, were heavily tested prior to marketing. ''Dylan and TJ had sold almost 40 million units of its 45 VHS and DVD titles by 1998 and generated over $1 billion in product licensing in 2000. More than ten million Dylan and TJ ''books were in print by 2001 and over three million copies of six CD-ROM titles based on the show had been sold. Seven ''Dylan and TJ ''titles sold at least 1 million copies each. Home media From 1998 to 2008, episodes of the show have been released on DVD and VHS. Beginning on July 25, 2006, Paramount Home Entertainment began releasing DVD season sets of ''Dylan and TJ episodes in order of the episodes' original air dates. Season one of Dylan and TJ was released by Paramount on July 25, 2006. Season one of Dylan and TJ ''sold very well; over half of the product being sold in the first week made it one of the fastest selling animation DVD sets that Paramount ever put out. It was so successful that Paramount released season 2 on December 5, 2006 and season 3 on June 19, 2007. Paramount released Season 4 on November 18, 2008 and Season 5 on December 8, 2009. Season 6 saw a release on December 7, 2010, followed by Season 7 on December 6, 2011, Season 8 on November 13, 2012, and Season 9 on March 12, 2013. Season 10 was released on October 10, 2017, completing the entire series. To coincide with the 25th anniversary of ''Dylan and TJ, Paramount released a boxset containing all seasons of the show and the movie on June 4, 2019.Category:TV Shows Category:EvanRocks Wiki